Chunky Monkey Muffins

With its title, this recipe had me right away. The term chunky monkey actually means “the object of a chubby chaser’s affection,” (according to the Urban Dictionary) but in my dictionary it means food with bananas, chocolate, and peanut butter combined.

These muffins are actually most healthy, but don’t let that turn you away. They taste decadent and hearty, perfect for a chilly morning when its too late in the season for oatmeal and the berries have yet to arrive.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 heaping tablespoon cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or dark chocolate chips)

6 ounces low-fat vanilla yogurt

2 medium overripe bananas, mashed

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

How To:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Coat liners with cooking spray and set aside.

Mix together the yogurt, bananas, egg, vanilla extract, oil, and milk in a separate bowl until thoroughly combined (but banana chunks are ok).

Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined. Spoon the prepared muffin cups 1/2 full. Add 1 teaspoon peanut butter on top, then sprinkle with a few chocolate chips. Fill up the cups with more batter until 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops of the muffins look dry and they spring back if touched. Allow to cool for several minutes, then take muffins out of tins and place on a wire rack to fully cool. Let the affection begin, in the form of noshing.